Now;that;the;holidays;are;be- hind;us,;I;suggest;you;begin the;homeschool;new;year by;reading;Mem;Fox’s;clas-sic;picture;book;Harriet, You’ll Drive Me
Wild!;(Harcourt,;2000).;If;you;are;any-
thing;like;Missy;and;me,;you;will;relate
to;the;protagonist;immediately—and;her
experience;might;help;you;redeem;the
Dog;Days;of;winter.
This;book;tells;the;story;of;Harriet’s
mother,;who;is;struggling;to;work;down
the;day’s;ToDo;list.;The;reason;she’s;hav-ing trouble is that her daughter inad-vertently;opposes;her;at;every;turn;by
making;mess;after;mess;after;mess.;She
knocks;over;a;glass;of;juice;;she;dribbles
jam;all;over;her;jeans;;she;accidentally
pulls;the;tablecloth;onto;the;floor;;she
drips;paint;on;the;carpet.
Mother;begins;the;day;with;admirable
patience, but her irritation inevitably
grows;as;Harriet;continues;to;wreak;hav-
oc;in;the;house;and;make;herself;a;nui-
sance.;“Harriet,;my;darling;child,”;Moth-
er repeats through increasingly gritted
teeth,;“Harriet,;you’ll;drive;me;wild!”
Finally,;after;putting;Harriet;to;bed;for
a;nap,;Mother;takes;advantage;of;the;first
quiet;moment;she;has;found;all;day;by
sitting;down;to;balance;the;checkbook.
Just;when;she;is;beginning;to;make;real
progress, Harriet executes the coup de
grâce.;Getting;up;from;her;nap;illegally,
the;child;rips;a;hole;in;her;pillow,;cover-
ing;everything;in;the;room;with;feathers.
“There;was;a;terrible;silence,”;says;the
narrator.;It;is;more;than;Mother;can;take.
She;loses;her;patience;and;her;temper
and,;ignoring;Harriet’s;repeated;apolo-gies,;vents;her;frustration;in;a;tirade.;She
yells;at;Harriet;at;the;top;of;her;lungs.
As homeschool parents, Missy and
I;can;relate;to;this;story,;particularly;in
January.;This;is;the;time;of;year;when
the;grand;plan;we;made;back;in;Sep-
tember,;our;homeschool;ToDo;list,;has
been;thwarted;by;mess;after;mess;after
mess.;We;only;got;half;as;much;done
before;Thanksgiving;as;we;planned,;and
momentum;for;the;rest;of;the;year;has
pretty;well;petered;out.;Memorial;Day,
when;we;usually;quit;for;the;summer,
seems;light;years;away,;but;still;we;will
never;finish;the;curriculum;by;then.;The
combination of unreachable expecta-
tions,;spotty;past;performance,;and;lack
of;vision;for;the;future;makes;us;feel;like
failures.;The;Dog;Days;of;winter;are;here,
and;we;sit;cooped;up;inside;for;weeks;at
a;time;with;nothing;but;our;own;inade-
quacy;to;keep;us;company.;It;must;be
January—the;wheels;of;the;homeschool
wagon;are;falling;off;again!
At;these;times,;Missy;and;I;both;find
it;hard;not;to;lose;patience,;like;Harriet’s
48;January-February;2014;•;The;Literary;Homeschooler;www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
This;is;the;time;of;year;when;the;grand;plan;we;made;back;in;September
has;been;thwarted;by;mess;after;mess;after;mess.
Harriet,;You’ll
Drive;Me
Wild!
Grace;for
the;Dog;Days
of;Winter
